Marton has pulled off a coup with the signing of Ranji Trophy run machine, Rahul Dalal, for their 2022 North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League campaign.
Ranji runs for fun…
Dalal is a high-class batter who hit headlines during the 2019/20 by churning out 1,340 runs at 95.71 for Arunachal Pradesh in Ranji Trophy cricket.
In his maiden season for Arunachal, following his move from Haryana, the wicket-keeper batter was the talk of the Ranji Trophy, courtesy of his run spree.
The run machine struck 81 on his Ranji debut for Arunachal (v Chandigarh), before striking a quite-sensational 383 runs against Mizoram, hitting scores of 178 and 205* in his two innings.
Dalal backed up with scores of 53 and 84 (v Manipur) and 25 (v Sikkim), before another double hundred (267*) against Nagaland. Further half-centuries against Puducherry (51) and Goa (68) preceded yet another big century – 190 against Bihar.
He concluded the season with 1,340 runs – only 75 runs shy of VVS Laxman’s record for the most Ranji Trophy runs in a season (1,415).
Dalal’s success during last summer’s Ranji Trophy followed an incredible debut Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A) campaign for his new State in 2019. He racked up 6 half-centuries amongst 515 runs at 85.83.
He has enjoyed outstanding success for Arunachal Pradesh since his move from Haryana, with whom he made his debut during the 2012/13 season (350 runs at 35).
However, after a few lean seasons, with limited game time, Dalal decided to move States in pursuit of regular first-class cricket. The rest, they say, is history.
Rahul abroad, and set to return in 2022
Looking to capitalise on his purple patch, Dalal ventured to the UK in 2021 to try his luck in league cricket. He excelled, hitting 557 runs at 61.89, alongside a few wickets to evidence his all round skills.
Having enjoyed success last summer, Dalal is eager to return next season having recently signed with Marton for their 2022 North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League campaign.
